Ad war frames Senate race as Dewhurst vs. Cruz

Updated 11:15 pm, Monday, April 23, 2012

AUSTIN - The air war has begun in earnest among Republicans fighting for their party's nod in the Texas U.S. Senate contest.

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst fired off his first negative television ads of the campaign last week, aimed at former state solicitor general Ted Cruz.

Dewhurst hopes to avoid the uncertainty of a summer runoff by disposing of Cruz, who has courted tea party groups aggressively and is backed by former U.S. House Majority Leader Dick Armey's FreedomWorks.

Dewhurst's ads focus on Cruz's work as a private attorney, slamming him for representing a Chinese company against an American businessman who says the company copied his tire designs. The Chinese company lost at trial. For the appeal, it hired the firm for which Cruz works.

Cruz's campaign points out that the company is entitled to an appeal.

Photo: Jay Janner, .

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8/13/2011 - Jay Janner/AMERICAN-STATESMAN - Ted Cruz, former Solicitor General of Texas and Senate candidate, speaks at the RedState Gathering at the Francis Marion Hotel in Charleston, South Carolina, on Saturday August 13, 2011.

8/13/2011 - Jay Janner/AMERICAN-STATESMAN - Ted Cruz, former Solicitor General of Texas and Senate candidate, speaks at the RedState Gathering at the Francis Marion Hotel in Charleston, South Carolina, on

Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst delivers the keynote address at the 109th Annual Meeting of the Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce and Industry Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011 at the Wichita Falls Country Club in Wichita Falls, Texas.

Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst delivers the keynote address at the 109th Annual Meeting of the Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce and Industry Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011 at the Wichita Falls Country Club in Wichita

Tom Leppert, candidate for the U.S. Senate, speaking during the Texas Rally for Faith and Freedom at Sugar Creek Baptist Church, 13303 Southwest Freeway, Saturday, March 10, 2012, in Sugar Land.

Tom Leppert, candidate for the U.S. Senate, speaking during the Texas Rally for Faith and Freedom at Sugar Creek Baptist Church, 13303 Southwest Freeway, Saturday, March 10, 2012, in Sugar Land.

Photo: Melissa Phillip, .

Ad war frames Senate race as Dewhurst vs. Cruz

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Dewhurst's ads claim "the Chinese" continue "counterfeiting, and Ted Cruz keeps getting paid." They feature the businessman in the tire case, who says, "There's too many people like Ted Cruz in Washington today."

Cruz last week highlighted his own TV ad about his work in a case defending a cross memorial placed by a veterans' group in a national preserve in California. It says Cruz has "spent his life defending the Constitution and fighting for our religious liberty."

Former Dallas mayor Tom Leppert also is airing new ads emphasizing his business background, releasing the most recent one Monday and saying it will air on cable and broadcast television. Dewhurst also has been on broadcast TV; Cruz has been on cable.

Cruz seen as top target

In the new ad, Leppert promotes himself as a conservative businessman and describes his foes as "a government lawyer, a career politician backed by lobbyists and a sportscaster."

Dewhurst's negative advertising tells the story of this race, showing Cruz as the one the deep-pocketed Dewhurst most fears as he tries to sew up the GOP nomination in the May 29 primary.

Mark Jones, Rice University professor of political science, said it shows that Cruz is in for a long spell "in terms of negative advertising, unless the polls start to show that Dewhurst is safely above that 50 percent margin (of support)."

"It's clear that the Dewhurst campaign is worried about Cruz winning a sufficient proportion of the vote to force a July 31 runoff. And there, the Dewhurst campaign's principal worry is that with extremely low turnout ... it's possible that conservative activists could turn out in such proportion that they would be able to propel Cruz to victory," Jones said.

Big name, deep pockets

San Antonio-based Republican consultant Kelton Morgan said he thinks Dewhurst can win without a runoff, noting a money advantage, higher name ID and "a longer and more solid record to run on."

But Morgan said the new advertising shows Dewhurst sees Cruz as first among the other candidates in the field, which also includes former ESPN football analyst Craig James.

"I would imagine just the amount of outside support – all of the kind of D.C. special interests - that have lined up with Cruz over the last year certainly shows that he seems to be getting a little more traction than Leppert, who really hasn't gotten any of that kind of establishment or institutional support," Morgan said.

Buying advertising time is expensive in Texas, Morgan noted, estimating it at $1.25 million per week statewide. He said Dewhurst still would be favored in a runoff, since he could tap into his personal fortune for the fresh contest.

Jones said Cruz does not need a statewide TV buy to meet his goal in the primary.

"David Dewhurst is the one that has to get 50 percent plus one of the vote on May 29. Ted Cruz just needs to keep David Dewhurst from getting 50 percent, as well as finish second. So if I were Cruz, I would be focusing much more on a targeted base" including cable television ads on shows like FOX news, Jones said, in combination with direct mail.